power tool safety

In just about every garage, or shop across the country you will find some sort of hand tool designed to perform a task making your life a little easier. Whether you are a hobbyist, a professional, or a fixer, these same tools designed to cut, bore, drill, staple, nail, screw or glue, are also capable of doing the same to your legs, arms, hands, or fingers, and will occasionally take aim at your eyes, or try to rob you of your hearing. They aren’t fussy about the timing either, it can be summer, fall, winter, or spring. Hand and power tool safety has no season.

I’m a bit of a wood butcher myself and I enjoy my time in the shop as therapy. Now I have the privilege of having an 11 year old grandson come and visit with me as well. His dad by the way is pretty handy around tools as well. So when he spends the night we’ll design a project, and make a drawing. He’ll be the first one out of bed in the morning, and after breakfast we’ll head out for the proper materials. Once in the shop we select the right tools for the job, including Eye and Hearing protection for both of us. We also inventory our arms, hands, and fingers so that when we’re done we have the same count as when we started. We also make sure we can move about the shop without tripping or falling. We work together making certain the tools are used properly, and safely. Once the project is complete and ready for paint we enjoy a good root beer, but not before we clean up our tools and put them away. Now we can invite grandma out to take a look at our accomplishment.

This past four or five months we’ve been pretty focused on some of the bigger issues including the ugly winter that came knocking on our door. We sometimes forget that the little things like hand and power tools, things we sometimes take for granted, are cause for safety concern. As in the past we want to help you develop a safety culture that includes what you do away from the job. Sharing this type of safety at work should carry over into your everyday living. Don’t take for granted the gift of your hands, eyes, feet, hearing etc. They are precious. Take time now during this ugly winter to look at your power tools, repair or replace power cords, lubricate moving parts, check to make sure the guards are in place and in working order, sharpen saw blades, and bits, rearrange the shop for ergonomics, check for your eye and hearing protection, make sure you have extra for guests, pitch the clutter. Check for sawdust or combustibles in or around heat sources, is your fire extinguisher up to date? And if you are fortunate enough to have grandchildren as I am, let them give you a hand, because Hand and Power Tool Safety Has No Season.

At SafetyInstruction.com we understand that your employees are like your family and naturally you are concerned about their safety. We offer safety training material to train and protect your employees in all conditions, ultimately creating a safer and happier working environment!